A Christmas Quote and Craft for the Week

 

 

A CHRISTMAS QUOTE FOR THE WEEK:

 

This is from the introduction in one of my many copies of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".  It's my all-time favorite book and I read it every year.  

 

"The story begins one cold, bleak, biting Christmas Eve, when the fog is so thick and the dampness so complete that wheezing is the only way to breathe, when the clock in the frozen tower strikes the hours as if its teeth are chattering when the afternoon is as dark as the evening, and the evening so dark that even familiar courtyards require groping to find one's way."

 

(Patricia Barrett Perkins, Baltimore, Maryland, 1987)

 

 

A HOLIDAY CRAFT IDEA FOR THE WEEK:

 

A quick candle gift -- Take a plain white pillar candle and hot glue cinnamon sticks all around the bottom.  Tie with a red ribbon and add a sprig of holly.

Throwback Thursday - Knitting

 

My maternal grandmother and my mom were both avid knitters when I was growing up, and my grandmother is the one who taught me the basics.  The first thing I ever made when I was about 10 was a hat and booties for a new baby cousin.  Obviously it was a very easy pattern and it was fun to work on it in a weekend when I stayed with my grandparents. 

When I first married in 1971 my grandmother knitted Christmas stockings for my husband, me, and our dog.  I think she might have gotten them as a kit, but she always transferred instructions to graph paper, using one page to write the basic instructions, one to write the directions line by line, and then another to chart the design.  I never had the original instructions, but she gave me her handwritten pages for the stockings and I've used the pattern many times. 

I also shared the handwritten pages with my friend Margherita when I worked in New York City, and over the years she made over 200 of them!!  She was from a large family, as is her husband, and whenever anyone married into the family, a brand new hand-knitted stocking was one of their gifts.  I loved that idea!!

My mother never made any stockings, but she used to knit a lot of afghans and baby blankets, sweaters, mittens, and slippers and socks.  In the photos you'll see the instructions for the stockings, some of my grandmother's knitting needles which were passed down to me, and an old very basic book to knit socks and winter accessories using just 2 needles.  While the photos on the front cover look very outdated, the actual instructions and patterns make very nice items which are quite easy.  For several years when we still lived in New Jersey I used to knit mittens in assorted sizes to donate to the Catholic Charities at one of the local hospitals.  It was always a lot of fun to work on those in between other projects I worked on, such as sweaters, vests (when they were popular), afghans, and slippers.

I came across these patterns and book earlier today so decided this would be perfect for Throwback Thursday.  I have a lot of yarn in my stash and am thinking that it might be fun to make some mittens again, and I can donate them to one of the downtown charities that takes in cold-weather items for the homeless.  Or, I might just finally knit a new stocking for my husband, Dennis.  I made his back in 1982 and over the years it's been shredding a bit from being overly stuffed with lots of snacks :)  I did a much better job when I made Jacquelyn's in 1985 for her first Christmas.  Or, perhaps I just don't buy things quite as bulky for her stocking stuffers.

 

Christmas Thoughts - Holiday Pine Sachets

I've wanted to make these sachets for a few years, and maybe... just maybe... I'll get to them this fall. I have lots of holiday fabric that I think will be nice for this project, and I actually have a bag of pine needles which still smell wonderful (just not that soft, fresh feeling any longer).

These sachets would make nice stocking stuffers or package decorations. They can be used as ornaments, or as sachets in closets and drawers. You can also make several and place them in a pretty basket to be used as party favors.  

I think they're something you can really have fun making - doing them in the usual squares, or even using cookie cutters for some unique designs.  I think a Christmas tree or wreath shape would really be fun.  Here are the instructions:

For each sachet you will need:
2 squares of burlap or calico (5-1/2 inches square)
thread
3/4 cup fresh pine needles
pine oil (optional)
30 inch length of ribbon, 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide
 
-  With right sides facing, sew the burlap or calico squares together (use zigzag stitch for burlap), leaving 1 side open for turning. Seam allowance is 1/4 inch.
-  Clip the corners and turn right side out.
-  Fill the sachet with the pine needles and slipstitch the open edge. Sprinkle the sachet with the pine oil if you'd like a stronger scent.
-  Tie the ribbon in a bow around the sachet, Add a sprig of pine needles in the bow for decoration.

Old Friends and Letters

My friend Denise and I have been sending each other long, long handwritten letters for over 25 years.  Other friends I keep in touch with have all moved on to emails, which I love since it's so quick.  But there's something wonderful about setting aside some special time, making a cup of tea, deciding on pretty stationery and a favorite pen, and spending an afternoon writing a long, newsy letter to an old friend.  I think taking the time for that makes it all the more meaningful -- a gift, in fact -- especially in our rushed everyday lives.
 

Making Plans

I've had so many thoughts on my mind lately that when I woke up I decided to get dressed, drive thru Starbucks for a Cinnamon Dolce Latte, and then take a long ride through country roads, rivers, and small towns.  That's always a sure way to give me time to think and make plans -- much better than when I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of these things, or can't fall asleep because my mind is busy working :)

It's a beautiful, breezy, sunny and blue skies day with some white puffy clouds, and we were just in the low 70s when I was out.  A nice day for a country ride.

The thoughts and plans I had on my mind??

First, Christmas.  Believe it or not, I have most of my shopping done, with the exception of a few people.  I've been doing it throughout the year when I've been traveling, which is always a great way to find just the right thing for someone.  I know what we're giving the other people on our list, so I just need to get those things over the next month and I'm all set to get things mailed.

I'm in an annual handmade Christmas exchange with several friends from an online group (we've been friends since 1999, and doing this exchange since 2005).  I think I'm pretty sure what I'm making, but will visit the crafts store tomorrow.  I'll either buy what I *think* I'm going to make, or I'll get a completely different idea. 

Also for Christmas... I have some needlework projects that are all stitched but need to be finished (framing, made into pillows, ornaments, wall hangings, etc.), and a few of those will be done for Christmas and used as gifts.  I'm also making a list of some baking ideas for friends and family, which will more than likely end up being a variety of shortbreads :)

The other thing I've had on my mind, which has actually been there for a few years, is a publishing project.  I've been making a lot of notes recently and working on plans and goals, contacts, and everything else needed, and after my ride today I've decided on a March 1st goal for this to begin.  Now that the date has been determined, I just need to start working backwards from there to have everything else fall into place, plan some meetings with friends/contacts, do more research, and get going!  This is a project I'm excited about, and will share more as time goes on.  

I'm curious... what does everyone else do when they have things on their mind and need that special time to do the planning?  Taking a ride?  A walk?  A bath?  Talking it out with someone else?

Joanne

Thursday Thoughts - Unfinished Projects

My many unfinished projects have been on my mind recently.  I'm not even talking about projects that are in the works, but needlework projects that were completely stitched... and then put in a drawer.  I have an antique 2-drawer dresser and both drawers are full of those pieces.

I probably talked about this before because they've been stacking up for years.  However, I've decided to make a real effort to finish them so they can be displayed.  There are at least 25 of them, and probably even more than that.

So, plans for the next several months are to begin pulling them out and either framing them (I do my own framing and collect frames from different places, including sales at the crafts stores), or finishing them as pillows, ornaments, wall hangings, banners, etc.  It's a shame that they've been sitting there for so long when they could be decorating some walls.  I plan on also using a few as Christmas gifts :)

Joanne

And Eight Tiny Lighthouses

That doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Eight Tiny Reindeer, but this is a project that's kept me very busy over the last several weeks.  Each year I participate in a handmade ornament exchange with several online friends.  This year I decided to use my own design, Christmas Lighthouse, which I released in October.  For me this year has been all about the sea, seabirds, getting my business (Of Generations Past) going, and lots of work - and fun!  I love it all.  So, I decided the perfect ornament to share this year would be this particular design which I think represents me pretty well. 

As you can see from this picture, I stitched them all on a large piece of linen (well, I didn't have enough space on the one so did two others on the other lighter blue fabric)...

And here are the finished ornaments, which were just delivered to the post office :) 

Joanne

A Few Finished Gifts to Tucson

I've been busy stitching the last two weeks to finish up two pieces for gifts. Our daughter and I went to Tucson for a few days to visit friends and I brought the gifts with me.











This one was for my long-time friend, Karen, as part of her birthday gift. It's from a Plum Pudding Needlework design.







This pillow was a gift for Karen's new granddaughter. I shared a picture of it a few months ago as a work in progress, and here it is completed. I didn't like any of the traditional baby designs, so used "For My Daughter" by Blackbird and made a few changes.








Here are a few pictures of the garden and sculptures in Tubac, one of our favorite spots south of Tucson. It's full of wonderful artisan shops and even though it's the desert, you'll find beautiful flowers.





This is a pretty area to sit and enjoy the desert view after some shopping.











I love these moving sculptures that move in the desert breeze. They're lined up along the patio at Shelby's Bistro, a favorite place to eat.










This flower was almost the size of a dinner plate. I wish there were some way I could have shown you just how large it was. It was truly beautiful.












I just love some of the sculptures, too. This one in a pretty patio next to Shelby's Bistro is a little girl reading, and a huge pile of books. It reminded me of our daughter when she was a little girl!







This shop is Tortuga Books, an all-time favorite. It's a great place to browse and cool off a bit after shopping in the hot desert sun. Now they have a coffee bar inside, too, which makes it even more pleasant. There are some tables and chairs outside for sitting if you prefer to enjoy the breeze, and there's a giant rabbit who's quite interested in that planter.











Here's a close-up of that giant bunny :)

Waiting, waiting

I received a phone call this morning from my closest friend, Karen, with news that her daughter-in-law had gone into labor this morning. I've been anxious all day, waiting to hear the news of the baby's arrival. My daughter and I already had fun shopping for baby clothes, and I'm also making two gifts. One will be the quilt from that fabric I shared with you a few days ago. The other gift is a cross stitch sampler I'm making using the "For My Daughter" chart by Blackbird Designs in their "Thank You Sarah Tobias" book. I'm going to make it into a pillow and use some of the same fabric I'm using for the crib quilt. The picture above is the sampler ~ which is on hold until I have the actual time and date of arrival, as well as the baby's name. I apologize for how washed out it looks. No matter what I've tried the pictures have just not turned out well, but you get the idea :) I'll be adding the birth date under the "Welcome", and will stitch the baby's name across the bottom of the chart.

The Annual Bluebonnet Quilt Shop Hop

This past week was our area's quilt shop hop. I just love participating in this event each year, although I only visited 2 of the 12 shops this time around. I spent so much money in the first two that I decided I was better off just skipping the other 10 shops. I have no self control :)
We usually have warm, sunny weather, but this year we had rain and some thunderstorms. I didn't mind since I love those types of days (and believe me, we have very few of them here). As I was driving down one of the roads in our neighborhood I had to stop for these cute little guys crossing the street with their mama. I was happy I had my camera handy, even though it's not the best of pictures.

I had a good day, even though I only visited two shops. I began with a stop at Dunkin Donuts for a large coffee (and two chocolate frosted donuts, but we'll just forget about those!). Of course, they were needed to sustain me for the drive to the two shops. (I drove 127 miles just visiting those two... one was south of the city and the other was in the far west side, and we live on the northeast side... lots of driving involved.)

At the first shop I found these pretty fat quarters. I didn't have projects in mind, but loved the way they look together, so had to buy several. I don't have many yellow fabrics so I picked up that cute yellowish-cream one on the left, and the one on the right was my "freebie" from that shop. I think I'll probably use them with some cross stitch project. The others will make their way into either cross stitch project finishes, table runners, small sachet pillows, etc.

At the second shop, which is one of my favorites, I found two fabrics that go perfectly with the ones I already had on hand for a baby quilt. I already had the second and third one (which are William Morris fabrics and a little unusual since so many of his are dark. These are pretty florals in a pink and blue, as you can see.) I also had the white fabric, and the blue toile I bought last year during the shop hop. It's difficult to see, but is a Texas fabric with blue bonnets and some small ranch scenes. Although I'm not originally a Texan (I'm an east coast girl, but have also lived in Arizona), I decided to use a teensy bit of this toile fabric in the quilt since I live here now ~ kind of a little "signature" within the quilt. The two fabrics I bought this year are the blue on the left, and then the pink over on the right between the William Morris pink floral and the white. I was so happy that the colors match perfectly.

I'm looking forward to starting the quilt and have decided that it won't be too fancy. I'm just going to cut the fabric into squares and sew them together in a pattern that looks pretty. I plan to add some white eyelet lace around the edge of the quilt ~ once I get that far. I promise to share some pictures as the work begins!

Monday Inspiration and Weekend Stitching

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

~ Henry Ward Beecher


This weekend I spent quite a bit of time stitching. In the afternoons I was finishing up a model for a new design that I hope to have up for sale at my website this week, but in the evenings I was working on these cute designs from Plum Pudding Needleart's Bits of Blue. I'm making extras to have on hand to use as small gifts throughout the year. There's also a larger sampler and a small design (but larger than these two) where you can add a person's name. It's been fun stitching in just the one color and the designs are working up quickly.

I'll have a busy week as I plan to stitch two more models, which I also hope to have available for sale by the end of the month.

A Finished Gift and Some Shopping Finds

Almost two years ago I shared a piece I stitched for a wedding gift for some close friends. Would you believe I misplaced it? I finally found it about a week ago when I was going through some "almost finished" pieces and there it was, sitting in that pile along with the pretty blue fabric I bought to make it into a pillow. I sewed it yesterday, and today I stuffed it, sewed the bottom closed, and added the ribbon. It will be going out in the mail today along with a birthday gift for the bride. Of course, they celebrated their one-year anniversary last June, and are expecting their first baby the end of April, but I think she'll be happy to receive the pillow along with her other gift.

Naturally when I went to buy ribbon I had to walk through every aisle in the store, and I bought these buttons to use on future needlework or quilting projects. I just love looking at all the buttons in stores and it's fun to fill my button jar when I get home.




I saw this book and couldn't resist it. I'm really into knitting scarves these days and when I saw that this book featured designs inspired by the sea, I had to add it to my collection. I spent a long time last night looking at all the patterns and can't wait to begin one soon! Last evening I finished the scarf I was knitting for my mother-in-law, so now I have another present for Christmas completed!



Finally, I just loved this Lion Brand cotton yarn. I recently saw a cute pattern on their website (free) for crocheting dishtowels using the standard ripple pattern. I thought these colors are so pretty together (I must have "southwest" on my mind since I'm planning a trip up to Santa Fe soon ~ one of my favorite places!). I worked on this for about an hour last night and it's half finished. I think it's a little heavy to be used for a dishtowel, and I think it would make a pretty runner for a table. I have a friend who lives in Arizona who'll be having a birthday soon and I think I might include this in a basket, along with a book or two, a pretty candle, some of her favorite tea, and some homemade cookies. It would look pretty sitting on her dining room table.

Joanne

My Current Knitting Project

Here's my current knitting project ~ a scarf for my mother-in-law for next Christmas. Of course, it was supposed to be for this past Christmas, but I started so many projects that I never got any of them finished. So, slowly but surely, they're being worked on for the current year. This is the yarn I showed several posts ago, which is 75 percent wool and 25 percent soy. I'm using the box pattern and I just love the way it's looking with this particular yarn. The pattern is an easy one and works on a rotation of four rows. You begin by casting on the number of stitches you desire which is based on 4 stitches, plus 2. In my case I cast on 30 stitches (28 plus 2). Here's the pattern:

Row 1: K2, P2, K2 across row.
Row 2: P2, K2, P2 across row.
Row 3: Repeat row 2.
Row 4: Repeat row 1.

You continue like this for the entire project and it makes a very pretty small box design, which is reversible.

I also have a new cross stitch design I created and stitched. Once I have it made into a pillow (at least, that's what my current plan is), I'll add a photo of it here at Joyful Blessings, and will offer the chart for sale at my Of Generations Past website. It's a cute little patriotic design which is simple and quick to stitch.

Sheep, Alpaca, Soy... a New Obsession

Years ago I loved to knit. It was one of the first crafts I learned, and I remember knitting a baby hat and booties for an older cousin's baby when I was just 9 years old. I sat there on the sofa with my maternal grandmother and she walked me through all the steps of understanding the pattern. My mother was also an excellent knitter, but for some reason it was more fun to learn the skill from my grandmother.

Over the years I made sweaters, an afghan, lots of mittens, a few scarves and hats, and several Christmas stockings. But, the knitting got put aside because I started to crochet... and then sew... and quilt, and do cross stitch... well, those of you who love to craft know how it goes.

The last few years I've really been doing more counted cross stitch than anything else, but for some reason I really became interested in knitting again. It could be from my friend Linda and reading about the scarves she was knitting. Or, maybe it's because I came across some of the old notes, booklets and knitting accessories that belonged to my grandmother (which I shared in a previous post).

In any case, I've really gone a little crazy the last month or two visiting a new favorite yarn store called Yarnivore (cute name, huh??). Since I've been away from the craft for a long time I'm sticking to scarves ~ in different patterns, but a lot of the same fibers.






I seem to be really hooked on the boucle type of alpaca and silk blends, like this pink and green one that are in progress.












This ivory scarf is the boucle. The pretty deep red yarn with the gold flecks is part alpaca and part silk and so soft and pretty. But, this yarn was jinxed (it must have been, or why would I have started a scarf and pulled it back out over 10 times!!!!). Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the way it's turning out now. It's a little wider than what you see here, since it's curling under a bit on the sides as I'm working :)






And finally, on my last visit to Yarnivore, I saw this yarn in the tans which reminded me of my mother-in-law. She loves to wear clothes in these shades, and I thought it would make something pretty for her. This yarn is partially made of 70% wool and 30% soy. Neat!

The red yarn is all alpaca and oh so soft!! The teal yarn and scarf are the boucle alpaca-silk blend again. (Yes, I'm hooked on the stuff!)








I'm not spending ALL my time knitting... I'm also reading a lot. Of course, right now I'm hooked on the Debbie Macomber Blossom Street books (about a knitting shop and friends who take the knitting classes), and also the Maggie Sefton knitting mysteries thanks to another friend, Lizzie.
So as you can see, I'm diversifying and doing some reading as well as knitting :)




Oh, and I also got this baby blanket for a friend just about finished. It's crocheted and just needs a pretty scalloped edging before it's sent on its way. I'm pretty sure I shared a picture of it before when it was still a work-in-progress.

Stitching, Knitting and Quilting

I really resisted adding "Oh My!" to the end of my title :) It seems to be so easy to add that little phrase to things in threes, doesn't it? (Guess I couldn't resist, since I just wrote it here!)


I'm sorry to say that I still haven't finished the Prairie Schooler design I've been working on, "When Witches Go Riding". My plans were to have it done for Halloween, or at least that weekend so I could begin a Thanksgiving design, but, I got involved in a few other crafts and haven't gotten back to my stitching. Here's a picture so you can see that it's almost done. Actually, I need to look at a few of the past PS autumn charts because I don't want to use the witch. I think mine is going to have a cat sitting on the fence next to the house. I'm going for cute instead of Halloween-scary.








For some reason, I decided to get back into knitting. This might be because I was going through some things in the crafts room the other day, and came upon a few knitting items that belonged to my grandmother. Here you can see an old pattern book (just 10 cents!) for some knitted items using only 2 needles. I used this booklet years ago to make tons of mittens in various sizes (child to adult). I didn't have anyone to give so many mittens to, so I took them to a nun we knew at a local hospital and she gave them out to several families their charity watched over.






The knitting needles were my grandmothers. I also have a few bone crochet hooks that belonged to her which aren't in the photo.







The patterns or directions in the plastic page protectors are for Christmas stockings that my grandmother made back in 1971. There was a regular booklet of directions, but she always liked to chart the designs on graph paper so she could mark them off as she followed along. She also did the same with the directions themselves. I know this is something she passed down, because my mother always did the same thing when she was knitting.




Onto my knitting... I'm in a scarf mood since they're easy to do, and since I haven't knitted in several years, decided to pick a pretty yarn with character so I could just do basic knitting without having to think. It's working out well, and I know that the more I'm doing this, the more I want to get back to knitting some mittens, slippers, baby items, and sweaters. That will all wait until after the holidays, because for now I'm working on scarves.





This pretty aqua shade and the peachy pink will be two scarves for my daughter. I'm planning on getting an ivory color and a cranberry color in the same yarn (75% silk, boucle) to make two scarves for my step-daughter. It will be fun to roll them up and tuck them in their Christmas stockings (that were hand knit by me many Christmases ago).




As for the quilting... I was going to post some pictures of fabrics here, but I think I'll do that on my Christmas blog instead. I've been terrible keeping up with that and it's been months since I added anything new. I think it's about time ~ don't you?? Needless to say, the quilting projects I have in mind are for Christmas gifts and will be small quilts to cuddle under while curled up on the sofa, as well as some table runners. I realize I'm running out of time, so yesterday afternoon all the fabric (many, many, many yards!!) went into the washing machine and dryer, and I spent a few hours last night watching a basketball and football game, and ironing. Now I'm all ready to begin work.

There are a few other projects in the works, but those can wait for another day :)

A Stitching Weekend

This weekend I hope to get some work done on at least one of my current Works in Progress!










I think the Prairie Schooler "When Witches Go Riding" is a priority, since I'd like to have it ready to go by Halloween.








This design is the Gardening Thread Pack from Little House Needleworks. I'm making it for a friend who loves to garden, and unfortunately when I was straightening and cleaning before we went on vacation, I put the chart some place safe. Always a bad idea, lol. I know I'll find it one of these days, and I hope it's in time to get this finished before Christmas. It was supposed to be a September birthday gift, but I sure missed *that* deadline!! I thought this light green gingham would be a fun fabric for the project. I'll make it into either a small pillow, or into a tote bag. Right now the tote bag idea is foremost in my mind, since I thought it would be fun to fill the little bag with some Burt's Bees items :)











Finally, this is Quaker Turtle by The Workbasket. The colors are off a bit in this photo. The fabric is light grey, and the floss is a deep, but bright, red. My husband is an alumni from the University of Maryland and I thought this turtle would be cute to stitch and make into a stand-up pillow (in keeping with a "terps" theme and using one of the school colors ~ red!).









I have many, many more things in my WIP boxes, but thought I'd share these three since they're in the current working pile.

Happy Stitching!

Joanne

Fabric, Yarn and Gifts

Earlier this week I took a day for myself. My first stop was to Starbucks and when I got to the drive-through window I was so excited to find that they now have the Pumpkin Spice Lattes back on their menu. In fact, the girl at the window told me it was the first day back. I was sooo excited!

I spent most of my day driving around favorite little towns in the Hill country to see what was new in their shop windows. My drive took me along a few rivers that still had tubers and rafters since we're still in the low 90s. That was fine for them, but I was celebrating autumn inside the car with the air conditioner going as I sipped my latte :)

I made a stop at one of my favorite quilt shops. My husband gave me a gift certificate from them for my birthday, along with some extra cash to spend wherever I wished, so I combined the two and selected a yard each of five pretty fabrics. They'll go with some other fabrics I already have on hand from previous trips there, and will become some table runners and small throws to use as Christmas gifts. I just love the one fabric which will become a fall item ~ it has tiny oak leaves and acorns in the prettiest shades of blue, brown and tan.



I'm so anxious to begin a fall stitching project or a quilt, but I'm determined to wait until I have this baby afghan completed. I'm making it for a friend of ours who had a baby girl the end of August, and fortunately it's going very quickly. I began working on it last weekend during all the coverage of Hurricane Gustav, and continued it this week while watching political coverage. Rather than making it a small "baby size", it's a larger crib-size afghan.








I just love crocheting with this particular brand of yarn and have used it for other baby blankets as well as large shawl-like scarves. I'll be finishing it up this weekend and just need to add fringe and it can be wrapped and mailed.

Then, it's on to those autumn projects!!

Gifts and Souvenirs

Here are some of the gifts and a few souvenirs I bought on our vacation. I needed some birthday gifts for a little girl who'll be turning 2 in just a few weeks, and I couldn't resist the stuffed animals and little tee shirt. Two of the books are for her, too, and the other two are for other children.









This book, Creatures of the Desert World, was one of our daughter's favorite books as a little girl. It's a pop-up book :)











This little board book is really sweet. It actually covers quite a bit of information, too.














The little embroidered baby coyote on this shirt is really cute.









And finally, here are the two stuffed animals. It's not often that you see a prairie dog who's bigger than a coyote, but such is the world of stuffed animals :)